Cleveland Guardians fans react to pair of top prospects being kept out of spring training due to injury: "I could be sick" "That’s a tough blow"
The Cleveland Guardians will be without a pair of the team's top prospects for the foreseeable future. Top pitching prospect Daniel Espino is being shut down for at least eight weeks with a strain/tear in his shoulder, while 2022 first-round draft pick Chase DeLauter – an outfielder – will miss four-five months with a fractured foot.
Guardians morning briefing:
*Top pitching prospect Daniel Espino is being shut down for at least eight weeks with a strain/year in his shoulder
*2022 first-round pick Chase Delauter will miss 4-5 months with a fracture in his foot (same injury he had last year)
“I think we gotta remind ourselves like, 'OK he’s really young,'” Guardians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com regarding Espino. “So, patience isn’t always the easiest word, but it’s the best word. So, we’re gonna do the right thing. That’s the most important thing is doing the right thing. How many times have you heard me say it?
"It can’t just be when it’s convenient. So, we’ll do the right thing.”
This sucks big time twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Not what I wanted to see today twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
I could be sick. twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Espino, a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Cleveland Guardians' farm system. DeLauter is the team's No. 7 prospect. While DeLauter is likely still a couple years away from vying for a place in the big leagues, Espino was projected to compete for a spot on Cleveland's pitching staff at some point this season.
That’s a tough blow with Espino. twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Yikes this is not good.. as great as Daniel Espino is the team really might have to trade him before his value is tanked twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
My brain always told me to trade him because the human body isn’t made to throw 102mph consistently…
But, I got sucked into the Espino propaganda on the TL this off-season (which he deserves).
Now, he’s pretty much untradable and we may end up just having an insane reliever. twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Espino, whose arsenal of pitches has impressed major league hitters in previous spring training camps, was shut down for the season in May due to patellar tendinitis after amassing 35 strikeouts in four starts with Class AA Akron. DeLauter has yet to play a minor league game due to recurring foot fractures.
So yeah....this is suboptimal to say the least. twitter.com/ZackMeisel/sta…
Tried to tell you all for a year that they should trade Espino. He can’t stay healthy. You guys are hopelessly addicted to prospects twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Yeah, see man. This was always my concern with Espino. All the talent in the world, could be our best pitching prospect ever…
But the best ability will always be availability. Not good he’s gonna miss prob the first 1-2 months of the season after being out most of last year twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
DeLauter, the 16th pick of the 2022 draft, hit .402 with 15 home runs, 27 doubles, four triples and 24 stolen bases in 30 attempts in 66 college games at James Madison University.
Not your ideal start to a season… twitter.com/zackmeisel/sta…
Cleveland Guardians need stream of youngsters to remain competitive
The Cleveland Guardians do not have a fat bank account to spend on high-priced free agents, so the team requires a fresh stream of young talent to continue infiltrating the ranks in order to remain competitive.
Cleveland surprised many MLB prognosticators last season by winning the American League Central by 11 games with a 92-70 record. The Guardians then swept the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round of the AL playoffs before a narrow five-game loss to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.
The Guardians are projected to have a payroll of just over $75 million for 2023, which is less than the New York Mets will pay in luxury tax.